Doggie Car Harness!

[Rachel Barkel]

I am wondering if anybody has a recommendation for dog car harnesses. I read a story recently where a family got in a car accident, and without the harness, their dog would have gone trough the windshield. I am on the road a lot, and Dolly loves to ride with me and hang out in the car while I run errands, so I want her to be completely safe in case anything were ever to happen. Any tips for how to convince them the harness is good rather than evil would be great too! Dolly can chew her way out of just about anything, so hopefully we can avoid that! :) 
Thanks!

[Willow and J]

I tried three different car harnesses, but all of them without success. Willow moves quite a bit in the backseat, and she got tangled up in 30 min. on all three. Two were harnesses designed for the car-ride with a loop on the back to thread seatbelt through. We also tested a mock-up of zipline with climbing equipments, but again, she managed to tangle herself up. Any loose length of a leash/tether gets twisted and tangled the way Willow moves in the car, turning this way and that way, again and again. Sigh. Any solutions?

[Julie, Izzie & Max]

We ordered ours from www.usak9outfitters.com also and have been very pleased with them.  We had to order new ones for our dogs because theirs had gotten too tight.

[Heather Martinez]

Teddy has the K9 outfitters harness as well. The harness and strap that attaches it to the car are both sturdy and Teddy doesn't mind wearing them. I have a Honda Civic and with the strap attached to the middle seat belt with the harness at it's smallest setting, Teddy can go back and forth between the two windows and put his head out the window (he is a standard and 55 lb, so he's pretty big). He's never gotten tangled up in the harness. He can lie down or sit but he can't get off the seat (which is good). I feel safer knowing he wouldn't fly through the windshield in a crash.

[Nancie & Gracie Doodle]

That is what is so great about the K9 harness.  You can adjust the tether to what ever length you want so your Doodle can get to a window.  I too attach mine to the center seat belt and we do 8 hour drives with Gracie and she is able to look out the window, put her head on the console between us and lay down.  It is perfect!!

[Camilla and Darwin]

We use the American tourister brand, in XL. It's worked very well for us and Darwin can sit up or lay down. We purchased it from petsmart.

[Jennifer,Chloe & Myla]

So cute!

[BG and Gavin]

A car harness is essential!.  You should get one right away.  I have witnessed a horrendous head on collision that unfolded before me on the highway and the contents of the car were strewn for a quarter mile radious, including the driver who was not belted in.  I found her in a field a hundred feet from the car.  When Gavin was a young puppy, he travelled in a travel crate.  He now wears a regular sturdy harnes and I use a coupler to attach him to the safety belt in the back seat.  You can get him used the wearing the harness by putting it on him during his regular walks.  If you insist on it, he will get used to it.  As you can see Gavin is super chill in the car.  We travel 7-8 hours every weekend in the summer and I am very passionate about this subject.  I am to doodle car safety what Karen and Alison are to food or Joanne and Jane are to rescue!

I fold down the back seat of my SUV so he can really stretch out. 

Chill:

Super Chill: 

Gavin breaking in DH's new truck: 

[Jennifer,Chloe & Myla]

LOVE the last picture!!

[Nancie & Gracie Doodle]

I have the same one that Lisa suggested...The Champion Canine Seat Belt.  My Gracie Doodle is a very large standard GD and weighs 70 lbs.  I have tried many but this is the one that works best for us and for her.  Some of the smaller dogs can get away with another brand maybe but if it is a big Doodle I would go with this one.  My daughter bought the same one for her Rhodesian Ridgeback. 

[Willow and J]

And, I'd like to add, if I may: is it safer to have the dog in the cargo (we have a wagon) or in the backseat?

[Martha & Cooper]

We still put our crate in the car for Cooper and secure it to the child seat holds.   He has chewed through 3 harnesses and even though I have a new one waiting in the cupboard for him, I know he isn't ready for it yet.   He is still wants to chew when he gets anxious.   He uses his crate, with the door open, for a bed and safe haven at home, so he feels very comfortable riding in it in the car.  

[Lucy & AnnaBelle's Mom]

I would like to add a few points here.  First, if you get one that you use the seat belt to slip through to hold them in you need to check during the ride that they have not stepped on the seat beat release and unbuckled it, particularly if you have a doodle that moves around a lot.  This has happened to me with the girls in the van when someone was in the backseat with them.  They would step on that persons belt release and their seat belt would come loose.  We use one that actually snaps into the cargo tie downs that are U shaped bars down between the seat back and the seat cushion so they can't step on them.  Another thing is that if you don't have your dog secured into the vehicle, you don't have to get in an accident for them to get hurt, you would just have to hit your breaks fairly hard to avoid an accident and they could be thrown off the seat and onto the floor and be injured.  We had a member here on DK whose dog broke its foot this way (that resulted in another discussion on getting a harness by that individual, can't remember who it was).  They were just running up the street to Petsmart when this happened, so it doesn't have to be a long trip.  What I would suggest for trying to get your doodle used to the seat belt is to maybe have someone ride in the back with them a few times and maybe gives treats for them being good and then maybe they will get used to having it on and learn to leave it alone.  Good luck.